Universal Memoir Unit - Memoir Analysis Activities, Writing Projects, Any Memoir

Looking for a diverse set of materials to accompany your high school memoir unit? These bundled memoir analysis materials offer a comprehensive and engaging experience for students reading any memoir. Not only will students be properly introduced to memoir as a genre, but they will have ample opportunities to analyze their memoir's context, characters, embedded messages, and lasting legacy. At the end, they will be able to brainstorm and develop their own memoir short story.

Materials Included:

Introduction to Memoir Mini-Lesson: Editable PPT Presentation with Quiz & Key!

• Editable PowerPoint Presentation - you can change/alter any slide and can add more or take away slides to fit the purpose of your lesson
• Timeline and Brainstorming Memoir Activity - to help students develop their own memoir short story idea
• Multiple-Choice and True/False Quiz - to assess students on the presentation materials
• Answer Key for the Quiz Included!

Memoir Analysis Worksheets: Activities, Assignments, & Project for ANY Memoir!

• “A Memoir’s Context” Research Assignment – to have students research the setting of their memoir and any important events, trends, or ideologies that might impact their memoir’s message in pivotal ways
• “A Memoir’s Language & Style” Annotation Assignment – to prompt students to annotate their memoir’s pages, choosing strong examples to record in chart format throughout their reading
• “A Memoir’s Protagonist” Character Sketch Assignment – to have students creatively depict the author, using details from the text to support their artistic choices.
• “A Memoir’s Protagonist” Character Growth Assignment – for those who may be less artistically inclined, another chance to analyze the protagonist and their growth throughout the book
• “A Memoir’s Societal Connections” Global Analysis Assignment – to have students make societal connections to the events and characters within their memoir
• “A Memoir’s Motifs and Themes” Post Analysis Assignment – to help students analyze the deeper implications of their memoir’s message
• “A Memoir’s Symbolic Ties” Post Analysis Assignment – to help students analyze the deeper implications of their memoir’s message
• “A Memoir’s Critical Acclaim” Written Review Assignment – to prompt students to rate their novel and then explain their rating with evidence from the text
• “Write Your Own Memoir” Project, with Planning Guide, Project Requirements, and Rubric – to guide students through the process of memoir writing

Memoir Nonfiction Article Pairings Chart: 8 Articles with Links for ANY Memoir!

• Lesson plans with detailed procedures and teacher’s notes included
• A “Non-fiction Text Pairings Chart” for students, complete with 8 different non-fiction connections, links, and instructions for how students should focus their analyses. (Offered in both PDF and Editable Word formats)
• A Detailed Teacher’s Guide to help you understand how each article connects to a memoir unit
• Focus questions for each article to prompt student analysis and discussion (over 20 total!)

Memoir Presentation Project: Lesson, Requirements, & Rubric for Any Memoir!

• A thorough Teacher's File - includes suggested implementation, procedures, and possible student feedback/discussion options
• Detailed Project Requirements (offered in both PDF and Editable Word Formats) - to outline clear student expectations
• Presentation Tips - to maximize student success
• Scoring Rubric (offered in both PDF and Editable Word Formats) - to ease your grading burden and facilitate meaningful student feedback
• A Sample Presentation for First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung - to offer students with an example before starting their own project

My AP Language and Composition students love reading and analyzing their selected memoirs using these materials! I hope you and your students enjoy the unit to the same degree. Happy Teaching!

Keywords: narrative nonfiction, non-fiction, autobiographical writing, creative nonfiction, The Glass Castle, Angela's Ashes, The Liars Club, Running with Scissors, Me Talk Pretty One Day, I am Malala, Memoirs of A Boy Soldier, First They Killed My Father, The Color of Water, Memoirs of A Geisha, AP Language, AP Composition, AP Lang, AP Comp, juniors, 11th grade, literature circles, memoir circles, independent study, novel study